photo by: Elvyn Jones

Visitor walk over a maple leaf stenciled at the intersection of Eighth and High streets as people wait for turkey legs at the Kappa Epsilon turkey leg booth at the annual Maple Leaf Festival on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Baldwin City.

A Douglas County fall staple started with something as simple as another fall staple: leaves turning colors.

When professors at Baker University noticed the maple leaves in Baldwin City began to change colors around the October weekend every year, they teamed up with some local businessmen to start the Maple Leaf Festival, first held in 1957. The following year, a professional women’s group began selling crafts at the fair.

Now getting ready for the 67th Maple Leaf Festival, which starts Saturday morning, it has grown into an event with 398 craft booths, a parade, a 5K run and so much more. But for Donna Curran, who has been on the Maple Leaf Committee for 20 years and is currently the booth chair, it’s a weekend that helps knit together the community.

“It’s like a family reunion,” Donna said. “I love seeing the people come back year after year.”

Over the course of two days, the festival brings in around 30,000 to 35,000 people in to the town of just under 5,000 people. Donna said she knows there are groups from Kansas City who have it on their calendar to come back year after year. She said some have been visiting for so long and know exactly the crafts they want to buy; they’ll “come in at 9, buy their stuff, and walk out at 11.” Others roam the festival, perusing the crafts, watch the parade and explore the food options.

The busy weekend could not be possible without the support of the whole community.

Mike Curran, Donna’s husband whom she “dragged in” to help with the festival 15 years ago, is also a chair on the Maple Leaf Committee, the local group that helps organize the event. Mike said since the festival is “such a tradition” it can kind of run itself. Other than fixing issues from previous years, Mike said the festival benefits from having a lot of great volunteers who take care of their work so it all runs smoothly year after year.

Donna said the busiest time of the year for running the craft booth side is around June or July, though it’s an all-year process. Donna said the committee gives those booths their application for next fall the final day of the festival, but it’s the summertime when she begins to fit in all the booths and give them their confirmations.

The Maple Leaf Committee meets once a month to make sure everything is on track, Mike said, but the event also wouldn’t be possible without the city workers. Mike said during the week of the festival, city workers are working to set up barricades and put up signs in preparation for the event. Meanwhile, the event would not be possible without the work of the police department, fire department and EMTs who are working to deal with any little problems that come up.

“All those people come together to make the festival the great time that it is,” Mike said.

photo by: Bremen Keasey

Signs along Eighth Street in downtown Baldwin City for the Maple Leaf Festival. Streets are closed off and volunteers bring in last minute needs Friday afternoon ahead of the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin City. The local event, taking place Saturday and Sunday, brings in 30-35,000 people to the town of just under 5,000 people.

The local support is evident by the many returning guests. Mike has been a teacher in Baldwin City for years, and every year, he and his wife get to say hi to students he taught who became parents or even grandparents.

That sense of community is evident too in the way local nonprofits are supported during the festival. All the booths serving food are run by local groups, including fraternities or sororities from Baker University who are raising money for charities. The festival turns into a major fundraiser for community groups, giving back to all the people supporting the huge undertaking.

“I believe that’s what the festival is for,” Donna said.

The festival kicks off Saturday morning at 9 a.m. The craft booths are open until 6 p.m. On Sunday, the crafts booths open at 9 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. A full schedule is online at https://mapleleaffestival.com/schedule-of-events.

photo by: Bremen Keasey

Streets are closed off and volunteers bring in last minute needs Friday afternoon ahead of the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin City. The local event, taking place Saturday and Sunday, brings in 30-35,000 people to the town of just under 5,000 people.